There are a few things I assume at character creation that a character can do that perhaps not the average man can do in a low-tech setting, but in my mind are basic to the survival of a standard dungeon delving character. You can call them skills if you want, but by any other name I think a character needs these things, and what continuing character in a campaign has time to learn such things in the course of games? Background skills I come up with on the spot based on whatever the player wants for his character (son of famers, then got some farm skills Son of a mason, can do a little stone work, dads a sailor, then tie some knots well, etc).But I think since the earliest forms of D&D some unspoken skills are assumed into characters (in most cases).
I recently posted about this to a forum, and guess what? Yet another thing to divide players on. Some think characters should have to take time to learn these basics, and a good deal of folk think in medieval Europe terms and say almost nobody should historically be able to do these things (c’mon folks, this is not the real world we are talking about. It’s D&D).
Again, a lot of my assumptions maybe come out of having played (since childhood) editions where you had to come up with your own options and ideas for mundane things outside the class abilities. And I liked it in that things didn't need to get too bogged down with skills and more and more things that players have options and choices with outside of the most basic stuff that made the PC's D&D characters. Too much of that and you flash forward to talents and feats etc etc etc and may as well break out my Champions rules to use for fantasy gaming.
Here are some things I pretty much automatically assume about characters at the start of a campaign (I have no idea if any of these are assumed in the PHB or DMG anywhere). Do you have these or some of your own?
*All characters can read and write their own language.
*All characters have some experience in at least light horse riding (they can saddle a horse, ride it up to a medium trot with no difficulty, and attend to its basic feeding and grooming needs properly after a days ride).
*All characters can drive a horse/mule cart/wagon (max of two animal-driven)
*All characters know the basics of starting a fire (with flint and steel) and setting up a safely contained campfire.
*All characters can swim
*Fighter types know how to properly clean, oil, and sharpen their weapons. Those proficient in bow can restring a bow (but could not necessarily create a bow and arrows from scratch).
*That clerics and monks (in most common cases) will belong to an organization in the area (temple, monastery) that acts more or less like a guild they can go to for aid or safety.
*All characters can do very basic math equivalent to 1st year Jr. High skills (money grubbing adventurers that they are), and MU’s can do higher math (some algebra-type functions or beyond)
Most of hat you say, I do agree with. The only time I will say no to the read and write is if the character has a lower than average INT, something around 6. Anything above that, they can read and write.
ReplyDeleteThe horse cart thing, well...I have a character who always wants to have a cart and actually was able to take out several orcs with a cart (granted it was carrying swords in it and that is what really took out the orcs, but still.)
The only last quibble would be the swimming. Unless the PC lived where no large body of water is present, they can swim. I know, it sounds a bit harsh, but it is how I roll.
Two things:
ReplyDeleteAgreed, I don't worry about skills. It's boring 99% of time. The 1% exceptional circumstance (swimming in floodwaters) I use the systems std "adjudication" rule (d6, d20 < ability, etc)
All the crafting, sailing, navigating skills / profressions... That's what hirelings are for!
Player's are adventurer's. A full time job, they don't have time for "hobbies". A dangerous job, if they had some valuable skill they'd be an apprentice somewhere instead of poking around tombs and ruins.
And double agree D&D is not a medieval Europe simulation. Go play Harnmaster if that's what you want.
I like it. Further, I'd say these things should be laid out in all entry-level RPG rule sets. Raggi's LoTFP:WFRP hit many of them, but probably not all. I'm certainly going back through my "Daily Life" draft section of Homebrew '82 to make sure that I'm not missing anything this basic.
ReplyDeleteA few suggested tweaks... I'm with the other commenter on an INT limit for literacy. However, if that score also determines the number of possible languages spoken, it's nice to make sure the possibility exists for a non-reading PC to be able to speak more than one language.
If DEX is less than 6, no swimming?
Basic horsemanship is okay for everyone, but combat while mounted is only possible if DEX exceeds, say, 11 or 12.
Simulations of medieval Europe will have to depend on the time period. However, let's assume we're playing around the year AD 1000. Yeah, 90% of PCs are going to be peasant farmers with no skills beyond basic farming and agricultural know-how (which they'll have lots of), STR scores of 13-16 on average (lots of manual labor), INT scores of 8-10 (virtually no education beyond what is necessary for farming). Life expectancy is 35. Women become infertile soon after 25 due to malnutrition. Any cut, scrape, or open wound becomes infected due to poor understanding of hygiene, abject poverty, low immune systems, and dearth of trained physicians.
ReplyDeleteThings look up later, during the Late Medieval period and the early Renaissance as literacy climbs and a middle class emerges.
In reality, D&D is actually a Renaissance era game. If it were run during the height of the Dark Ages, everyone would have to be of noble or military rank of some sort for the game to be playable, really.
Frankly, who the hell would want to play an accurate simulation of medieval Europe as anything more than a challenge (for both GM and player)?
I think it depends on the general setting and on the particular one. I play a skill based system and some of theese skills are basically acquired: for example a PC can drive a horse in a normal situation.
ReplyDeleteI don't agree about swim and read&write. However in a village over the sea, all PC can swim, in another with high cultural population all can read&write.
Dragonlite: I have to say that I usually hit the low INT characters pretty hard for being dim. Being illiterate (did I spell that right?) is one of them.
ReplyDeleteNorman: right. And as far as reading and writing, well, Conan and Fafhred could do it, so it's well documented in fantasy.
Cyg: Just like low INT, yeah I'm picking on low DEX characters pretty hard. They could swim (some of the biggest idiots and stumblebums I have ever known were great surfers and swimmers), but might fall off their horse a lot.
Dave: I always describe my big cities and environs as sort of a Renaissance period (probably from all the Ren Fairs I have worked), with waaaay out villages being more dark ages.
These are the fundamental basics. By the way, there isn't much point in having "Cart Driving +17" by investing skill points. Just how often would you roll on that? Surely it'd add to the depth of character creation (bla-bla-bla) but be reasonable!
ReplyDeleteI'd add some basic climbing - not along wall without any tool, but with the help of ropes and mountaineers' kits. Mostly based on Str.
In A/D&D, I'd allow any character to use stealth, but they could be detected with Wisdom. (A good Dex roll for stealth gives penalties for the opposing Wis or Int roll and vica versa.) With a successful Hide in Shadows/Move Silently roll, you're undetectable. If you failed the %, you can still try the usual method open for anyone.